CANADIANS QUESTION, RELEASE DRUG SUSPECTS

VANCOUVER, B.C. (AP) At least two and possibly all four of the men
arrested aboard a fishing boat carrying more than two tons of cocaine
were released yesterday by Canadian authorities.

U.S. officials had turned the four men, all Canadian, over Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police questioned Kenneth Hubley, 31, Sean
Michael Cochrane, 31, Beau Nairn, 18, and John Stirling, 54.

In Canada, police can question suspects for 24 hours. After that they
must be released if there are no charges.

An RCMP officer confirmed at least two had been released.

"I don't think they are in custody now," said Martha Devlin, deputy
director of prosecutions for Justice Canada.

"All I can tell you is that the investigation with respect to the
seizure of the drugs on the boat is continuing," Devlin said. Possible
charges have not been disclosed, but possession for the purpose of
trafficking and conspiracy to import are being considered.

The men were arrested Feb. 21 by the U.S. Coast Guard on a fishing
trawler in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They were held by the U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization Service until they were brought to the
Canadian border Wednesday.

The trawler, the Canadian-registered Western Wind, was carrying 5,538
pounds of cocaine. The load had a wholesale value of more than $40
million.

Although the ship was stopped in U.S. waters, charges will be pursued in
Canada because the ship was registered in Canada and appeared to be
heading to Canada when it was stopped, said spokesman Lawrence Lincoln
with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle.

Canadian authorities had previously investigated the ship and it was
clear that further investigation was needed in Canada, Lincoln said.

"Essentially, Canada was considered the victim country and Canada had a
pre-existing investigation into this vessel and accordingly it was
decided that the case really belongs, jurisdictionally, in Canada," he
said.

If convicted on drug charges, they would face much lighter sentences in
Canada.

In Canada the maximum is life imprisonment, but there is no minimum
sentence and penalties are typically much less.